


Not While I’m Around

by Rosencrantz95



Series: Marauders One Shots [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter - Marauders era
Genre: Blood and Injury, Brothers, First War with Voldemort, HA! Sorry..., Order of the Phoenix Missions (Harry Potter), Regulus is a Death Eater, Rescue, Sirius Black is a Good Sibling, black brothers, but the injury is pretty...Sirius, you don’t see it happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29578479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosencrantz95/pseuds/Rosencrantz95
Summary: Sirius Black stumbled upon a familiar face when hunting down a rogue Death Eater.They always knew this day would come: the day brothers chose where their loyalties lie.
Relationships: Regulus Black & Sirius Black
Series: Marauders One Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173014
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	Not While I’m Around

There had been an attack at the intersection between Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley. Reinforcements from the Order had been requested to round up the remaining Death Eaters who weren’t quick enough to get away. 

Sirius Black was one of the last to arrive on the scene, having been asleep when he first got the call.

“What are we looking at here, Frank?” 

“Impromptu ambush.”

“On our side?”

“No, actually. It was an informal gathering that a couple of us stumbled across and of course words were shared...er… or rather... words were fired viciously until the wands came out.”

Sirius barked a laugh, relieved that for once it wasn’t an organized attack. 

“We have a few stragglers to question before the ministry officials take them.” Frank continued.

“Well, I know I’m late to the party, but what can I do to help?”

Frank Longbottom thought for a moment before pointing to one of the shops lining the road. The name of the shoppe was burned away, charred wood crumbled from the sign just above the door. The glass of the window was littered with cracks and spider web fractures. This was clearly the sight of the action.

“We could use another man searching tha basement of this place. We’ve reason to believe there’s a tunnel beneath that the Death Eaters have been using to get in and out of the public eye without using the Leaky Cauldron.”

“Then I guess I’m your man.” Sirius gave a sporting grin and slid his wand out from the sleeve of his robes before climbing through the giant hole that was the remains of the doorway.

The lot of them really did a number on the place. With every step, the high pitched crackle of glass breaking underfoot interrupted the silence. 

“ _Lumos,_ ” Sirius cast a beam of light in front of himself as he descended the deteriorating set of stairs leading to the cellar.

It didn’t take long to find the tunnel Frank had mentioned. A large stone was removed from the cobbled floor. He could see how it would fit seamlessly with the other surrounding stones. 

Sirius grinned fiendishly.

_Some idiot left it wide open._

At this point, he probably should have reported back to Frank and the Auror office so they could all go in together...safety in numbers and all that.

But this particular Gryffindor had always been too curious for his own good. He peeked into the hole in the floor, shining the light from his wand inside to get an idea of how deep it was. He spotted a set of steps fashioned from the existing mud and rock. Sirius felt the chill that came from being underground creep up his back and he couldn’t help a slight shiver. As he continued down the winding path, he started to feel an entirely different kind of chill.

 _Dark Magic_.

He grimaced at the familiar sick feeling radiated from stomach to his chest. A Death Eater had definitely been here recently, and if Sirius’s hunch was correct…. 

they were still here.

With renewed vigor, the former Black Family heir picked up his pace and continued. The thought of catching a Death Eater himself, enacting his own revenge, was enough to send his adrenaline levels to the sky and onward. 

Someone was definitely still here in this tunnel and Sirius could tell he was getting closer. Suddenly, he rounded a corner and found his victim huddled in a small alcove just off of the path.

The Death Eater still had on his mask and he was curled in on himself in obvious pain.

“ _Oi_! Hands where I can see them! Your wand, toss it to me.”

“Sirius…?”

He froze at that voice. He _knew_ that voice.

The silvery mask disappeared and revealed his worst fear: his little brother in dark robes, obviously injured and obviously fighting on the wrong side of this damn war.

It wasn’t until Regulus spoke again that Sirius realized his brother was definitely _not_ pleased to see him.

Though he couldn’t really blame Regulus for that...seeing as the last time they spoke, Sirius had run away from Grimmauld Place to live with _his new brother_ , James (as Sirius had so tactlessly phrased it).

“Go on then, Siri… go on and be the hero.”

“Reg?” Sirius breathed. “You’re just going to sit there and...?”

Regulus’s thin form was slumped against the wall, devoid of his usual impeccable, pureblood posture; he barely had the energy to look up when Sirius stared down at him. The younger Black closed his dull, glazed grey eyes, and let his head loll back against the wall. 

“Make it quick,” Regulus rasped, talking more to the ceiling than to his brother. 

“What? Reg, what are you talking about?” Sirius couldn’t move, he was frozen at the sight of his baby brother, still a child… just a boy… now bleeding out in a tunnel beneath Knockturn Alley...all for a man Regulus had never even met.

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed in a tiny, almost imperceptible gesture. 

“Go on! Kill me! We both knew it would eventually come to this! If it was any other Death Eater, you’d have killed them already!” 

When Sirius gave no answer, Regulus raised his head, opening his eyes. “What’s the matter with you? This is a _war,_ brother dear! You’ve always made your position plain! You _hate_ people like me! Admit it! You’ve been wanting to do this for years!”

Sirius looked on with a look on his face that suspiciously resembled...hurt? Remorse?

“Reg… _No_ …” Sirius’s voice came out thick and shaky. 

Regulus’s eyes widened, shocked and angry. “What? What are you, scared? Scared to kill me?” This next bout of yelling brought forth a series of coughs so violent and wet, that Sirius was certain he was bleeding internally. If he left him here… he would surely die. Death Eaters did not come back for their comrades. 

Sirius came closer, crouching down beside Regulus, whose weak taunting tone became more panicked. “No, stop, what are you doing? Just kill me already, please! Stop this--”

Ignoring his pleas, Sirius hooked one hand under his brother’s shaking legs and the other under his arms, lifting him up, not unlike he’d done when they were small and Regulus would fall asleep in the sitting room reading a book before bedtime.

“No! _No_ , Sirius! They’ll kill you if you help me! Your side will never trust you again if you help a Death Eater! Don’t be _daft_ !” Regulus struggled fruitlessly. He felt so weak...so very _tired_. He wondered briefly how much blood he’d lost. 

Sirius collected both wands and headed back the way he came.

“Where’re you...where are you taken me?” The young Black’s words were beginning to slur as he struggled to stay conscious,

“Taking you somewhere safe,” Sirius murmured, looking down at Regulus. “I’m not having you die out here like this.”

“So you suddenly giva damn now?”

“No Reg. Not suddenly. I’ve always cared about you. I think you know that.

“We may die in this stupid, Merlin-foresaken war… but I promise you this, brother mine,”

Sirius finally met the eyes of the young man secured in his arms, “it will never be by my hand. And it will _never_ be when I’m around to stop it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s just a wee one-shot fic with some brotherly love! I read the basic prompt on tumblr and ran with it. The poor Black brothers deserve some love, I think. Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you’d like to!


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